


Memories

by Ilovecastiel18



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Alec Hardy Needs A Hug, Conversations, Dinner, Ellie Miller (Broadchurch) Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Platonic Relationships, Wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23729596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilovecastiel18/pseuds/Ilovecastiel18
Summary: After Joe is acquitted and the Sandbrook case is wrapped up, Hardy finds Ellie crying on the steps in front of the police station. He invites her to his house and cooks for her. Platonic love confessions. Hurt/comfort, some angst. One-Shot.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller
Comments: 8
Kudos: 78





	Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I know that the Broadchurch fandom has mostly died out, but I just rewatched the series and had to write a fic where Hardy cooks for Ellie and they have a little heart-to-heart after all that has happened to the pair of them. Also, all of my lingo might not be entirely correct, because, unfortunately, I’m an American. Anyway, please leave a review if you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, locations, storylines, or anything else from the show Broadchurch. If I did, I would not be sitting around writing fanfiction, and I certainly wouldn’t have such a strong desire to meet David Tennant, because I already would have.

……….

Memories

……….

After Lee, Ricky, and Claire all confessed to the Sandbrook murders and were arrested, Hardy let himself have a rare moment of respite, slouching back into the sofa that lined the wall of his office. He let himself breathe for the first time in years, relishing the feeling of having so much weight lifted from his shoulders.

Hardy scrubbed a hand down his face, scratching at the scruffy beard that covered his cheek. It had been so long since he’d felt motivated enough to shave properly, but he still did not want to do it. The Sandbrook case, and the Latimer case, had taken their toll on him, had changed him, and he wanted his appearance to reflect that. He did not want to look like the clean-shaven, put-together man that he was before the Sandbrook case, because he was not that man anymore. Even after arresting the Sandbrook killers, he felt broken, shattered, like a shell of the man he once was.

He was honestly surprised that he hadn’t died from the stress of it all. He had certainly been close, with his heart nearly giving out, but here he was, alive, with a pacemaker attached to his broken heart.

Hardy ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead. He reached down and scrubbed both of his hands down his face, rubbing his eyes where he felt tears threatening to well up and fall. He would not cry here, whether from pain, relief, or anything else.

Hardy abruptly stood from the sofa, hooking his coat off the back of his chair and swinging it around his shoulders as he walked out of his office. He was going home. He did not want to stay here any longer, not after the emotional toll that those three arrests took on him.

He quickly and quietly rode the elevator down to the first floor, glad that nobody entered it with him. He strode out of the police station with a purpose in his stride, glaring at anyone who looked like they were going to speak to him. He could not, and would not, talk to anybody about the case, lest he start crying and embarrass himself in front of everyone.

He opened the station door with an unintentional bang, only pausing to notice the bright orange anorak that was taking up space on the steps leading to the station. He knew that coat, just as he knew the curly hair and shaking shoulders of the person wearing it.

Of course, the sole person in the station that he was willing to talk to, about anything really, was in his path. And of course, he was going to check on her.

“Miller?” Hardy muttered, easing himself down on the step to sit next to her.

Ellie sniffed, wiping a hand under her nose. “Sir?” she muttered back.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, bending his neck to catch sight of her face.

Ellie shook her head.

Hardy sighed, straightening and staring out at the town. “Is it Joe or Sandbrook?” he questioned.

“Both.” Ellie answered quietly. “Please, just leave me alone, sir.”

“You really don’t have to call me ‘sir,’ Miller.” Hardy replied, with another sigh.

Ellie turned away from him, facing the building next to the station.

“When was the last time you had a homecooked meal?” Hardy asked, making a split-second decision.

“Why?” Ellie asked, not turning back toward her boss.

“Just answer the question, Miller.” Hardy said, exasperated.

“Over a month, probably. I’ve been too busy with the trial and the case to cook anything.” Ellie answered.

“Can your boys stay with your sister for a few hours tonight?” Hardy asked.

“Again, sir, why?” Ellie asked. She finally turned to look at him.

“Look, Miller, I know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. We both have. I’m offering to cook for you. I think we could both use some quiet time to think and come to terms with everything that has happened.” Hardy said. He scratched his beard as he waited for Ellie to answer.

“I don’t need your pity, Hardy.” Ellie snapped.

“I’m not pitying you, I’m just trying to be your friend.” Hardy replied calmly.

“We are not, nor have we ever been, friends.” Ellie snapped again.

“Really? You’re the closest I have to a friend. Look, I’m not trying to upset you. If you don’t want to come over, that’s fine. I’m just trying to support you. And I think your company could do me some good, I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now. It’s up to you.” Hardy replied.

Ellie didn’t answer for a long moment, so long that Hardy was about to get up and leave by himself before she finally answered.

“You can cook?” she muttered.

Hardy laughed. “I can.”

……….

An hour later, after a brief stop at the grocery, Ellie was sitting on the sofa in Hardy’s little blue house while he pulled a baked ziti out of his oven. He paired the dish with garlic bread and pulled a chilled bottle of wine out of his refrigerator before calling Ellie into the kitchen.

“So I’m finally allowed in here, huh?” Ellie mocked. She had been banished to the living area as soon as they entered the house, Hardy had insisted that the dinner be a surprise.

“Laugh all you want, Miller. I wanted you to relax, and I didn’t want you to know what I was cooking until it was finished.” Hardy replied, his back turned as he searched for a spoon to scoop the ziti onto plates.

“Oh wow.” Ellie muttered, looking at the beautifully baked pasta dish and the perfectly browned garlic bread. “I seriously had no idea that you could cook, Hardy.” She exclaimed, finding a knife and cutting up the bread while Hardy started scooping the ziti onto plates.

“Not many people do.” Hardy replied, holding the plates out for Ellie to put the bread on them. He carefully set the plates on the table and poured two glasses of wine.

“Seriously, why don’t you advertise this? You would get a lot more dates if women knew you could cook.” Ellie muttered. She took a bite of the ziti and had to physically restrain herself from making any awkward noises. “Christ, that’s good.” She muttered, stabbing another forkful and bringing it to her mouth.

Hardy smiled, taking a sip of his wine and taking small, slow bites of the food. He may have been a right sight healthier now than he was before he got the pacemaker, but he still didn’t eat much.

Ellie was halfway through her plate of food before she said anything else. But, in the end, she did speak. “So how are you, sir? Really? This cannot have been easy.” She muttered, tearing off a piece of bread and sticking it in her mouth.

“I’m not entirely sure, Miller. I’m relieved, of course. But Ricky being involved… I feel betrayed. I know that’s not normal, but I always felt like I let him down when the case went to shit. Daisy, my daughter, was Pippa’s age at the time, so I related to Ricky. I wanted to solve the murders for Ricky. And he was involved the whole time. It’s something I’ll need to take time to wrap my head around.” Hardy answered, scratching his beard.

“It’s understandable, sir.” Ellie muttered. She looked down at her fork, sure that Hardy was going to start questioning her next. She was not disappointed.

“And you, Miller? Joe being acquitted… I can’t imagine. I’m sorry.” He muttered, playing with the stem of his wine glass.

“I’m not sure either, sir. I’ve been so angry since he was arrested. I’m also ashamed, because I am sad about losing my husband. I know he is a horrible person, and I know I should hate him for killing Danny, but… I loved him. He was everything to me, Hardy, and I lost him. And that makes me incredibly sad. But I can’t really tell anyone, because I don’t want them to think that I am minimizing Danny’s lost. I am so sad for the Latimers, I feel ashamed that I am sad for myself too.”

Hardy was quiet for a moment, taking in Ellie’s words. “I think I understand where you’re coming from. When Tess lost the pendant, I was angry, but I was also so sad that I was losing my wife. I couldn’t tell anybody, because nobody knew that it was Tess that lost the pendant, and everybody would be angry that I was focusing on my ending marriage rather than the two dead children. Obviously, losing evidence and murdering an eleven-year-old are two very different things,” he paused, noticing a tear that was tracking down Ellie’s face. He reached across the table and touched her arm. “but I understand mourning the loss of a loved one, even in the face of graver circumstances. I will never judge you for missing Joe.” Hardy finished, squeezing Ellie’s arm lightly.

“But I don’t want to miss Joe! I want to hate him I want to kill him. I want to grab him by the throat and fling him over the cliffs, onto the beach where he left Danny. I wish I had never loved him…”

Hardy cut her off. “Never wish that, Miller. He may be a horrible man, but he was good to you. He gave you two wonderful children. He cared for you and the boys. Joe will always be a part of your life, even if he is no longer in it. You would not be who you are today if you had not met and married him.”

“You’re right. But I still wish that I could, I don’t know, erase him memory from my mind. It might make this hurt a little less. I wouldn’t feel so guilty for missing him because I wouldn’t even know who he was.” Ellie muttered.

“Sometimes I wish I had the ability to erase some memories. I would pay a lot of money, and give away several organs, to forget when I found Pippa and pulled her out of the lake. That day was so traumatizing that I still have nightmares, and I’m still terrified of water that goes higher than my knees. But it’s just not possible.” Hardy agreed. He pulled his hand away from Ellie’s arm, where it was still sitting, to eat another bite of the ziti that was steadily getting cold on his plate.

They spent a few moments in silence, polishing off their plates.

Just as Hardy was about to eat his last bite of ziti, Ellie said something that caught him entirely off guard, making him pause with his fork halfway to his mouth.

“You’re a good friend, Hardy.” She muttered.

“I thought we weren’t friends?” Hardy replied, finishing the last of his food. He carefully sat his fork on his plate and reached for his glass of wine.

“Oh, shut up, you knob.” Ellie barked, standing to put her plate in the sink. She poured herself another glass of wine as Hardy smirked into his glass. “You may be my boss, but, after everything we’ve gone through, you’re also my friend.” She finished.

Hardy grinned, standing to take care of his plate. “The feeling is mutual, Miller.” He mirrored Ellie, putting his plate in the sink and pouring himself another glass of wine. He leaned against the counter and sipped at it. “You mean a lot to me.” He muttered into his glass.

“I’m sorry, what?” Ellie turned toward him, failing to hide a smirk behind her wine glass.

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t hear me.” Hardy growled.

Ellie smiled. “The feeling is mutual, _sir._ ” She mocked. Hardy ignored her, turning and rifling through his cupboard for a container to put the rest of the food in. He found one and scooped the rest of the ziti into it, sticking it in the fridge. He turned toward the sink and filled it with warm water, reaching underneath to find his dish soap.

“Let me, Hardy.” Ellie demanded, pushing him aside and rolling up her sleeves.

“That’s not necessary, Miller…” Hardy started to argue.

“You cooked dinner, I’ll do the dishes. It’s only fair.” Ellie reached for the dish rag that was sitting next to the sink.

“Miller…”

_“Hardy…”_ Ellie mocked, scrubbing a plate.

Hardy relented, leaning against the counter and sipping his wine. “Thanks for coming over.” He said quietly, after a few minutes. “It’s nice to spend time with you outside of work. And I’m glad I wasn’t alone to think about Ricky.”

Ellie paused, looking up at her boss. “It’s nice to spend time with you too, Hardy. And I’m glad I’m not alone, now that I have the chance to think about Joe being acquitted.” She gave Hardy a sad smile before turning back to the dishes.

She finished quickly, wiping down the table and counter before releasing the drain and watching the soapy water empty from the sink. She dried off her hands and grabbed her wine glass form where she had put it earlier, leaning against the counter next to Hardy.

The stood there in silence for a few minutes before anyone talked. “Look, Miller, I know I can be really difficult, and I’m hard to work with. And I know that I took your job back when I started here. I’m sorry for all of that. I consider you a friend, and from now on I’m going to try to be a better boss and friend to you.” Hardy explained.

“You’re not so bad, Hardy. And I forgive you for taking my job.” Ellie smiled, bumping her shoulder against Hardy’s arm. She had meant to bump her shoulder into his, but he was a lot taller than her. “You know I love you right? Not in any weird way, but I love you like I love Beth. You’re my friend, no matter how many times I have denied it.” Ellie explained, blushing at the confession. She hadn’t necessarily meant to say it, but she knew Hardy needed to hear it.

“Yeah, uh, same, Miller. Back at you.” Hardy stammered, flushing bright red. Ellie smiled and glanced at the wall, only then noticing what time it was.

“Christ, it’s late! I have to go get Tom and Fred!” Ellie drained her glass of wine and bustled into the living room, swinging her orange anorak around her shoulders. She stopped just as she was about to leave. “Listen, Hardy, if you need anything… if you need to talk, just ring me, okay? My phone is always on.” She muttered.

Hardy shifted in the kitchen doorway. “I probably won’t, but thanks. Same goes for you.”

“I mean it, sir. Call me if you need anything.” Ellie turned and, in a moment of bravery, wrapped her arms around Hardy’s back. Hardy froze for a moment before tentatively returning the hug.

“Yes, ma’am.” He muttered. Ellie pulled back after a moment and raced out the door, pulling her car keys out of her coat pocket.

Hardy smiled to himself as he sipped his wine. He and Ellie may have had some hard times, but he was sure that they would make it through, as long as they were together.


End file.
